Caliph Harun Al Rashid and Constantinople

from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harun_al-Rashid

(Hārūn ar-Rashīd "Aaron the Rightly Guided") (Arabic ����� ������ also spelled Harun ar-Rashid, Haroun al-Rashid or Haroon al Rasheed; English: Aaron the Upright; ca. 763 � March 24, 809) was the fifth and most famous Abbasid Caliph. Ruling from 786 until 809, his reign and the fabulous court over which he held sway are immortalized in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights.

 

In military matters, H�r�n was an excellent soldier and showed this ability at a young age when his father was still caliph. He later commanded an army of 95,000 Arabs and Persians sent by his father to invade the Eastern Roman Empire, which was then ruled by the Empress Irene. After defeating Irene's famous general, Nicetas, Harun marched his army to Chrysopolis (now �sk�dar in Turkey) on the Asiatic coast, opposite Constantinople. He encamped on the heights in full view of the Roman capital.

The Empress saw that the city would certainly be taken by the Muslims. She therefore sent ambassadors to Harun to arrange terms; but he sternly refused to agree to anything except immediate surrender. It is reported that then one of the ambassadors said,

The Empress has heard much of your ability as a general. Though you are her enemy, she admires you as a soldier.

These flattering words were pleasing to H�r�n. He walked to and fro in front of his tent and then spoke again to the ambassadors.

Tell the Empress that I will spare Constantinople if she will pay me seventy thousand pieces of gold as a yearly tribute. If the tribute is regularly paid Constantinople shall not be harmed by any Muslim force.

The Empress agreed to these terms. She paid the first year's tribute; and soon the great Muslim army set out on its homeward march. The tribute of gold that the Empress Irene agreed to pay H�r�n was sent regularly for many years. ..........

In 802 Nicephorus usurped the throne of the Eastern Empire. He sent ambassadors with a letter to Harun to tell him that the tribute would no longer be paid. The letter contained these words:

The weak and faint-hearted Irene submitted to pay you tribute. She ought to have made you pay tribute to her. Return to me all that she paid you; else the matter must be settled by the sword."

As soon as H�r�n had read these words, the ambassadors threw a bundle of swords at his feet. The caliph smiled, and drawing his own sword, or scimitar, he cut the Roman swords in two with one stroke without injuring the blade or even turning the edge of his weapon. Then he dictated a letter to Nicephorus, in which he said:

"H�r�n ar-Rash�d, Commander of the Faithful to Nicephorus, the Roman dog: I have read thy letter. Thou shalt not hear, thou shalt see my reply."

H�r�n was as good as his word. He started that day with a large army to punish the emperor. As soon as he reached Roman territory he ravaged the country and took possession of everything valuable that he found. He laid siege to Heraclea, a city on the shores of the Black Sea, and in a week forced it to surrender. Then he sacked the place. Nicephorus was now forced to agree to pay the tribute.

However, scarcely had the caliph reached his palace in Baghdad when the emperor again refused to pay. H�r�n, consequently, advanced into the Roman province of Phrygia in Asia Minor with an army of 15,000 men. Nicephorus marched against him with 125,000 men. In the battle which followed, the emperor was wounded, and 40,000 of his men were killed. After this defeat, Nicephorus again promised payment of the tribute, but again failed to keep his promise.

H�r�n now vowed that he would kill the emperor if he should ever lay hands upon him. But as he was getting ready to march once more into the Roman provinces, a revolt broke out in one of the cities of his own kingdom; and while on his way to suppress it he died of an illness which had long given him trouble. He is said to be buried in Tus.

The map of Abbasids Caliphate Under Caliph Harun Al Rashid ( Aaron the up right)

below is a Persian painting of Caliph Harun Al Rashid.

 below Julius Köckert's painting of Harun al-Rashid receiving the delegation of Charlemagne demonstrates the latter's recognition of Hārūn ar-Rashīd as the most powerful man of his culture

 

 

Azimuth didnt a caliph died during the siege of Constantinople? If yes, whasnt that guy named "Eyyub" or something?

I know during besiege of Constantinople by Fatih Sultan Mehmed, his teacher "Akshemseddin" saw a dream about that guy above there, and by his dream they found the place he died, on the place he died Fatih Sultan Mehmed did let made a "turbe" (grave) for him.

 Azimuth, al-Ma'mun was a bit elder than al-Ameen but al-Ameen succeeded his father first,al-Ameen  was a foolish young manunlike al-Ma'mun the wise,al-Ameen had the treasury,troops and all province except Khurasan and al-Ma'mun had nothing except brilliant leaders like Harthma bin A'yan,Tahir bin Husein(founder of Tahirid dynasty) and his vizer al-Fadhal bin Sahal.

al-Ameen ordered to his troops under Ali bin Isaa bin Mahan to march toward Khurasan, a huge army (40000 men) defeated by Tahir near Nisaphur with less than 5000 men,the people in Baghdad didn't beleive the news but they beleive it after they saw tha army under Harthma and Tahir besieged the city.

al-Ma'mun led many campaigns against Byzantine he died in Tarsus during his campaign.

Too bad the Persians did not conquer Constantinople. Its corruption, filth, and vileness had to keep living on. IF they conquered Constantinople it would have been for the better

Hello everybody

I think the  achievement of Harun Al Rashid is not this that was described

by azimuth. Harun Al Rashid was the protector of art and culture.

Baghdad was the place that all the scientists ,intellectuals and philosophers  were protected by the Caliph.

Especialy his son Al-Ma'mun's  translate from ancient hellenic to arab

Aristotelis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotelis) Platon Plotin Theophrastos and others philosophers and with this way

he saved all these masters. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mamoun)

Later in 11 and 12 century Averroes (Ibn Rushd) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Rushd) and his philosophy

system  (Averroism) became known to the western Europe from the

Spanish schools (Toledo).Pope was teriffied because in this way  was imported

the forbidden mean of logic as instrument to find the truth  .

 I think this contribution to the humanity of Harun Al Rashid ,Al-Ma'mun's  and the other Caliphs is the most important than other achievements of them.

 I upload a map of 1000 AC or 390,1 with  the Muslim date.

My regards to everybody I m waiting for replies  

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Originally posted by Antioxos Pope was teriffied because in this way  was imported the forbidden mean of logic as instrument to find the truth  .

 

Which pope, just curious to know ...

to Ahmed and Mira

thanx for your contributions. although Ahmed i think these ideas about Al Ameen were made up later to show that he was the bad guy and Al Mamoon was the good one.

the Abbasids did the same wiith the Umayyads history.

-

to Antioxox,

Thanx for the addition about Harun's achievements, i was not saying the close capture of Constantinople is his great achievements. actully it is one of the events that is not known to many people so i wanted to point out these events in  particular that i noticed there are many people overrate Constantinople and its capturing by the Turks in another subject.

Harun and his son's period were the Golden Age of the Abbasids Caliphate in mostly everything and specially science.

----

Romios

well he was a teenage General sent by his father to conquer anatolia and didnt try to go ahead to take the city that the Empress acted wisly before that happens.,as per the story above

"The Empress saw that the city would certainly be taken by the Muslims. She therefore sent ambassadors to Harun to arrange terms; but he sternly refused to agree to anything except immediate surrender. It is reported that then one of the ambassadors said,

The Empress has heard much of your ability as a general. Though you are her enemy, she admires you as a soldier.

These flattering words were pleasing to H�r�n. He walked to and fro in front of his tent and then spoke again to the ambassadors.

Tell the Empress that I will spare Constantinople if she will pay me seventy thousand pieces of gold as a yearly tribute. If the tribute is regularly paid Constantinople shall not be harmed by any Muslim force. "

also when got fed up with the new Emerors lies , Harun decided to go and capture the city without any negotiations or treaties. lucky for constantinople he died while preparing the army.

and as i mentioned above there were in-stability in the Caliphate after harun's death. so the army he prepared was not used for the purpose he wanted.

 

Originally posted by Mira Originally posted by Ponce de Leon Too bad the Persians did not conquer Constantinople. Its corruption, filth, and vileness had to keep living on. IF they conquered Constantinople it would have been for the better Are you bashing the Turks, indirectly? Had the Persians conquered Constantinople, the city would have had a different character, of course.� The art and architecture would have been different, but nonetheless beautiful.� But you never know - the city might have become like any city in Iran today, and what you all hate about Iran ("so-called" Islamic culture) might have been prevalant. Persian culture has its own, incomparable beauty. I think the Turkish conquering of Constantinople was the best thing that ever happened to that city.� Today, Istanbul is beautiful and enchanting.

I never thought about bashing the Turks indirectly, but thanks for pointing that out I never thought about it. (SOrry to ze Turks ) But I am talking about Constantinople itself and what it had become after the 2nd century. It has become so corrupted and it has torn itself from its old Roman values. It is just a shadow of its former glory, a infestation that has to be wiped out from the world. ALthough it was finally conquered in the 15th century it was already a place of death and decay to its fullest. But destroying it earlier when it boasted a high population would have eradicated all the filth and evil that protruded from its walls. Only because of its luck, its protection geographically, and a few "good kings" did it manage to breath one more breath of air. The Persians and/or the Arabs should have destroyed them. It is a pity that they have failed

I know that many people may not agree with me but that is what I truly think. i have read books on Constantinople and what they have done to go so far from their old values. Nobody wanted to be controlled by that city, the city itself was the reason why there was a land mass called Byzantium. The city was full of corruption and evil at the highest order. It should have been wiped off the map

Sorry but I simply don't believe that Harun al-Rashid was able to conquer Constantinople. To do that you needed to have control of the seas, the efficient Byzantine navy with their weapons of Greek fire prevented the Arabs from ever taking the city. All Harun al-Rashid could do was ravage Byzantine Anatolia. Without dominance at sea he was not in a position to take Constantinople.

When the Byzantines approached him, they lathered him with compliments when they wanted him to withdraw. This was standard Byzantine diplomacy, get your enemy off-guard so as to ensure the best negotiations you can with him. It was not a sign the Byzantines thought they were going to be annihilated.